


Thin Disguises

by Juliko



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Breaking the Fourth Wall, Comedy, Disguise, Gen, Humor, Parody, The characters are actually smart for once
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-10
Updated: 2020-10-10
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:01:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26931052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Juliko/pseuds/Juliko
Summary: When Team Rocket tries to fool Ash, Misty, and Brock, with yet another scheme, putting as little effort into their disguises as possible this time, they get more than they bargained for.Basically, a short story where Ash, Misty, and Brock actually DON'T fall for Team Rocket's paper thin disguises and recognize them right off!
Comments: 3
Kudos: 19





	Thin Disguises

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SystemError](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SystemError/gifts).



> What’s this? A Pokemon fanfic I’m writing that ACTUALLY involves canon characters and not OCs? What is this world coming to?! Nah, I’m just exaggerating. This is just a short one-shot I’m writing, as a birthday present for one of my friends and as part of the Writers Anonymous Forum’s Break The Cliche Challenge on Fanfiction.net. It’s nothing special, but I hope you all enjoy it.
> 
> Speaking of which, hey Pokemon fans who watched the anime, did you hate it when whenever Team Rocket would disguise themselves and try to steal Ash’s Pokemon, Ash and his friends would ALWAYS fall for their schemes every single time? Even when it’s so obvious to us that they’re Team Rocket? Didn’t that annoy you? It’s a cliche that the Pokemon anime is fairly notorious for. But what if the kids actually saw through their paper thin disguises for once and were actually smart? Well, do I have the fic for you! Also, happy belated birthday, System Error!!

Team Rocket hid behind some thick brush, watching as a trio of kids walked right by. The trio--two boys and one orange haired girl--was a familiar sight to them. Too familiar, and frankly, too annoying. Their eyes locked straight onto the Pikachu sitting on the younger boy’s shoulder. It’s yellow fur, red cheeks, thunderbolt-shaped tail...the feeling of electricity surging through their veins every single time it shocked them with its powers. Every. Single. Time. Just thinking about it made them shiver. Jesse in particular locked her angry gaze onto them, reminiscing on all the times her and her compatriots’ plans were thwarted by them.  
  
Anger unable to be contained, as soon as they were out of sight, the red haired woman let out a growl, clenching her teeth as she released the pent-up rage simmering inside her. “Rrrrrgh! Just looking at those twerps makes me want to blow my lid!!”  
  
The man next to her gave a big sigh, his blue bangs obscuring his vision for a brief moment. “You know getting angry isn’t going to get us any closer to catching that Pikachu…” He reminded her, shoulders sagging.  
  
“Oh, come off it, James!” Jesse barked. “Just because that thing already blasted us off a thousand times already doesn’t mean we can afford to give up now!”  
  
On Jesse’s right, a cream colored feline Pokemon sat cross-legged, eyes closed, deep in thought. But his large ears heard every word Jesse shouted. “But we’re already fresh out of ideas on catchin’ it and money to even get stuff we need to do so.”  
  
Jesse ground her teeth at the reminder. Being low ranking Team Rocket grunts, they weren’t exactly being handed funds on a silver platter. That only made their desire to nab that Pikachu and hand it to their boss all the more important. Who cares if that Pikachu zapped them a million ways to Sunday? It was better than giving up. Giving up meant staying at the bottom of the food chain, and Jesse wanted money. Luxury. To get in the boss’s good graces. Anything that’s not their current situation.  
  
“No one asked your opinion!” Jesse snapped. Just being reminded of their situation was enough to make her want to explode.  
  
James looked down at his boots, his shoulders sagging from exhaustion. “At this rate, I think we’d have an easier time making money by becoming fortune tellers or something.”  
  
Fortune tellers…  
  
A light bulb flashed in Jesse’s head. When was the last time they had disguised themselves as fortune tellers? Jesse remembered they had disguised themselves as a lot of things. TV newscasters, regular trainers, salespeople, senior citizens...it was then that Jesse realized something.  
  
Their disguises were often cobbled together, and could have easily revealed their identities from the start...yet every single time, the trio they fooled always fell for them.  
  
Every. Single. Time.  
  
“James! Do you still have some of the outfits we bought last week?” Jesse asked.  
  
“Errr…” He looked towards the basket of their currently deflated hot air balloon. “I think so. Let me check,” James walked towards it and leaned in to check inside. A pile of clothes lay in the upper left corner of the basket. “Yep! I still have them!”  
  
“What’re ya thinkin’ Jesse?” Meowth asked.  
  
“I just realized something!” Jesse exclaimed, pointing her index finger upward. “You know how our disguises aren’t always the best? But somehow those twerps always fall for them every single time?”  
  
When James rejoined them, he remembered as well. “Yes, it’s true. Ash and his friends aren’t the brightest tools in the shed. But then again, who are we to talk?” He said, reminiscing on all the disguises he, Jesse, and Meowth cobbled together for every shenanigan they put the kids through.  
  
“Yeah! I see where you’re goin’ with this!” Meowth flashed a sharp toothed smile fitting for a mischievous cat Pokemon. “I bet we can use what we got and fool those twerps easy, just like all those other times!”  
  
Jesse pointed right at Meowth. “Exactly! They’re such dumb lugnuts that we could just change our clothes and put on sunglasses, and they won’t recognize us at all!” She proclaimed, her voice booming with confidence as she remembered all the times they had easily fooled the kids before. “We don’t even need to disguise our voices or hair styles or anything!”  
  
“Eeeee!” An overly melodramatic squeal from James pulled Jesse and Meowth out of their reverie. In his hands was a thin, white crop top and a pair of navy blue, skin tight yoga pants. “I found my old gymnast clothes! I had no idea I even still had them!”  
  
Was he serious? Jesse and Meowth could only shoot annoyed glares at him, eyes narrowing at his proclamation. This was not the time for him to be reminiscing on his days as a gymnast. They had a plan to put into motion, and now was the time to start planning and get things done.  
  


* * *

“Pikachu!” A Pikachu ran ahead of three children that flanked it, taking notice of a particularly pretty batch of flowers. The Pikachu stopped for a moment to take in their scent, nose twitching as it reveled in the sweet aroma.  
  
“Hey, Pikachu! Don’t run too far ahead!” A young boy of about ten with black hair called out.  
  
“So Ash, do you have any ideas for what Pokemon you might use against the Ecruteak gym leader?” His orange haired friend asked.  
  
“Hmmm…” Ash crossed his arms and stopped to think. “Not really, Misty. I don’t know what type of Pokemon he uses, so I might need to check into that before deciding.”  
  
“Let me see,” An older boy with spiky brown hair pulled out a book, glancing over some of its contents. “It seems the Ecruteak City gym leader uses ghost types,” He explained.  
  
“Ghost types, huh?” Ash found himself lost in thought once again. “I’ll really need to think about this one, Brock.”  
  
“I’m sure you’ll do fine,” Misty reassured. “You did really good with Whitney last time.”  
  
Ash remembered that gym battle as though it were yesterday. Her Miltank using Rollout and knocking out his entire team the first time. Having Totodile throw it off by using Water Gun on the ground to make trenches. Ordering Pikachu to make it fall into said trenches by using Agility in order to outspeed it, before finally defeating it, and Whitney by default, earning his third Johto League badge. Three down, five more to go.  
  
“You’re right! As long as we get some training in, I’m sure my Pokemon and I will get our fourth badge!” Ash proclaimed with confidence.  
  
“Pika!” Pikachu chirruped in agreement, running over to Ash on all fours to rejoin the group.  
  
The grass-scented air provided a fresh breeze as the children walked further down the beaten path, with the promise of a new day ahead of them. But as they walked further along, their ears caught the sound of voices.  
  
“Come one, come all, see what future my crystal ball shall provide!”  
  
Ash, Misty, and Brock exchanged perplexed looks. “Sounds like someone else is here,” Misty noted.  
  
Walking closer, they found a red haired woman draped in an indigo robe, eyes obscured with black sunglasses, sitting at a small table covered with a red cloth. A crystal ball rested on a fluffy pink pillow, and next to her, a blue haired man stood guard, also donning sunglasses and a robe, only his was a deep crimson. Just behind them, a Sunflora waved its leafy arms happily.  
  
“Oh, hello dearies!” The woman called out, beckoning them to come closer. “Would you like me to tell you your fortune? My crystal ball helps me see into the future!”  
  
Once again, the trio of kids exchanged looks. What would a fortune teller be doing all the way out in the middle of nowhere?  
  
Unbeknownst to them, the fortune telling trio were Jesse, James, and Meowth. Jesse kept her bright smile, but her thoughts were as devious as her heart. _‘That’s right, you twerps! Fall for my ruse! Once you get close enough, Meowth will snatch that Pikachu right out from your hands!’_ Jesse couldn’t wait to see the looks on their faces.  
  
“Sunflora sunflora!” Meowth squawked in his scratchy voice, but he could tell his Sunflora impression was lacking. _‘Nyeeh! My voice ain’t high pitched enough!’_ He lamented in silence.  
  
“I guess it wouldn’t hurt to try it out,” Misty suggested. “If only just for fun.”  
  
Both Brock and Ash had their eyes fixated on the trio in front of them, as if they were sizing them up.  
  
“Yes please! Do give it a try!” Jesse crooned in a voice sweet as honey, waving her hands around the crystal ball she set up.  
  
James flashed a grin. _‘Come on! Come on! Let’s get this over with!’_ He thought, wishing they’d just hurry up.  
  
Misty was about to approach the fortune teller, but something stopped her. She turned behind her, feeling a strong grip on her shoulder. Ash pulled her back, staring at the trio in front of him with an intense stare.  
  
“Hey! You not fooling us this time, Team Rocket!!” Ash suddenly shouted.  
  
What? Against their better judgment, Jesse, James, and Meowth’s jaws all fell wide open. Ash recognized them right away? Usually he and the other kids never did so right off, no matter how poorly put together their disguises were! Not wanting to confirm their identities, they kept up the act.  
  
“Well now, who’s this Team Rocket you speak of?” James asked, adopting a fake baritone voice. “We’re just a couple of fortune tellers.”  
  
“Wait a minute!” Even Brock started to catch on. “Of course! It’s so obvious you’re Team Rocket! You’re not even making any effort to disguise your hair or even your voices for that matter!”  
  
It took only seconds for Misty to recognize them as well, narrowing her blue eyes into angry slits. “Well, I sure am glad I didn’t fall for your scheme yet again!”  
  
As if to prove it was them, Pikachu approached the Sunflora and pulled on its leaf using its teeth...which wasn’t papery and lithe like a regular leaf. Instead, it felt like cardboard. Pikachu yanked on it so hard, the cardboard leaf slid right off! Meowth’s eyes opened wide from the shock.  
  
“Ha! See!” Ash pointed to Sunflora, the revelation that it was a fake dawning on him straight away. “That Sunflora’s just Meowth in a costume!”  
  
“Oh yeah!” Misty exclaimed, noticing other details. “There’s tape on his face, too! And last I checked, Sunflora don’t have shiny gold ovals on their heads!”  
  
“Nyaaaaah!” Meowth screeched, remembering the charm on his forehead. How could he have forgotten that? This was not how this was supposed to go!  
  
Just like that, the Team Rocket trio’s plans were completely ruined. They banked so hard on relying on them being so stupid that they couldn’t recognize them even in the thinnest disguises they had. It had always worked before. Many times, in fact. But not only did they recognize them right off, they even pointed out the important things they didn’t bother to hide. Jesse let out a resigned screech.  
  
“Ugh! Looks like there’s no point in hiding it now!” Jesse yanked off her cloak, as did James. Meowth did away with his bad Sunflora costume.  
  
“You’d best hand over that Pikachu if you know what’s good for you!” James bellowed.  
  
“Never!” Ash stood in front of Misty and Brock, with Pikachu arching his back in a battle stance. “Pikachu! Use Thunderbolt!”  
  
Pikachu’s body bristled as it unleashed a bolt of lightning that shot right at Team Rocket. Luckily for Team Rocket, James was quick on the draw, pulling out a PokeBall. “Weezing, hold it off with a Sludge attack!”  
  
Out from his PokeBall came his trusty Weezing, who opened its two mouths to spit a barrage of black sludge. The inky masses successfully undermined Pikachu’s lightning, preventing it from landing a hit.  
  
“Don’t leave me out of the fray! Go, Arbok!” Jesse wasted no time joining in, sending out a large purple cobra. “Use Poison Sting!”  
  
Arbok opened its long maw, firing a barrage of purple needles. Of course, Pikachu was quick to dodge every single one of them by running all over the place, evading the onslaught. “Quick Attack, buddy!” Ash called out. Pikachu’s body glowed white as it sprinted towards Arbok, ramming into the cobra so hard, it was sent flying towards Team Rocket, Weezing included. Before they could even react, they found themselves being pushed towards a large tree.  
  
“Now, finish it with Thunderbolt again!”  
  
This time, Pikachu didn’t hold back. Unleashing a loud cry, Pikachu shot a bolt of lightning that managed to strike them right away. The Team Rocket trio and their Pokemon screamed as electricity surged through their bodies yet again. Not long after, an explosion of dust and dirt occurred, though how it happened was anyone’s guess, and Team Rocket was sent flying into the sky for the millionth time.  
  
Ash kneeled down to Pikachu’s level and gave his partner a good pat on the head. “Good job, buddy.”  
  
Pikachu gave a contented coo in response to the gesture.  
  
“I have to say, Ash, I’m surprised you recognized them right off,” Misty said. “I mean, it even took us a minute to really tell it was them.”  
  
“Oh, they just got complacent is all,” Brock explained as he adjusted the strap on his backpack. “They can’t keep fooling us with their paper thin disguises forever.”  
  
“Yeah,” Ash agreed, standing back up. “I think it’s high time I stopped falling for every single trick they have. Next time they try to pull that again, we won’t fall for it one bit.”  
  
Both Misty and Brock nodded in agreement as they went back on walking down the dirt road ahead of them. “Indeed we won’t!”  
  
As the kids went back on their merry way, Jesse, James, and Meowth were still flying through the sky, lamenting their failure. Yet again, Jesse could only scream in anger. “Aaaaagh!! They usually fall for our disguises like idiots!! No matter how weak they are, they’re always foolproof!!”  
  
“I suppose our trying to bank off how stupid they can be just proves that we’re gigantic goofs,” James chimed in.  
  
“And just like that, our millionth plan goes poof!” Meowth finished off, having caught on to the rhyming scheme his compatriots were going for.  
  
Then, as they disappeared into oblivion, all three of them shouted in unison, “Team Rocket’s blasting off agaaaaaaaain!!”  
  
Guess it goes to show that paper thin disguises don’t always work, or shouldn’t always work, even if one has pulled them off for twenty whole seasons.


End file.
